Eagle One Tech Services: Your home has lungs. Take care of them.

Your home heating system is a mass of tunnels that air is drawn through over and over again, several times a day. It is not unlike your own lungs. It is important to keep your heating system clean, and know how to use it efficiently. The cold air returns on each floor of your home are there for the furnace to pull cooler air from. This air is pulled through the furnace filter, which should be changed or cleaned every 3 months or sooner. The air is then heated by the gas/burner system. it is also possible that you have a humidification system that adds moisture to the air, which helps to keep pollen and dust from floating in the air into your own lungs.

It it critical to know and act on the upkeep of your home. You spend so much time in it! With the COVID-19 virus and other cold and flu viruses going around, we all need to take some time and think. How can I decrease my chances of getting sick?

Here are a few ways you can do that.

First of all, make sure everything on your furnace is working. Turn on the furnace fan. Do you realize that it is acting as a vacuum cleaner to pull dust into that small square or rectangular filter in the basement? Turn off the fan. Check the filter. Does it look dirty? When did you change it last? Time to get a few spare filters from the local home hardware store. Pull the existing filter out, take a picture of the filter size with your phone. Send it to yourself in an email with the subject line “My Furnace Filter”. One thing down!

Now, make sure the heat is on. Do you have a humidifier? That’s the box on the side or back of your furnace that drips water into another filter and air is pulled through it to provide moisture to it. Does your humidifier work at all? You should be able to hear something called a solenoid clicking when you turn on the humidifier. This function on your furnace is incredibly important to your health. You MUST keep your humidification system clean and free from debris! Change that humidifier filter/aerator if it looks decayed or worn out.

Have you ever had your furnace ducts cleaned? Get it done. There’s a lot of nasty stuff that has accumulated in there over the years. I recommend having your ducts cleaned every 2-3 years. One indication of how often you should have the ducts cleaned is how dirty your filter is and how often you change it.

Lastly, know how to operate your furnace! If you use a NEST thermostat, you can have it do a LOT of smart things that help you stay comfortable, dust-free and to keep the air in your home “vacuumed” into that furnace filter.

A smart thermostat can follow your habits and know when to turn on and off certain functions of your home heating/ventilation/air conditioning system. It can also monitor the time spent doing its job of regulating the environment in your home.

A water sensor in the basement is a good idea, it can help to prevent or mitigate disasters such as frozen pipes and flooding.

Your home has lungs. It’s called the furnace and has heat ducts running all around it, pushing and pulling air. Keep your furnace and ducting well-maintained, and your own lungs will thank you.